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Prince Harry urged tech companies to be more transparent about issues affecting children, as he and his wife, Meghan Markle, made their first public appearance since the arrest of her father, who is suspected of possessing images of child abuse.
Harry spoke before the European Parliament in Brussels during the inauguration of a monument dedicated to children who have died as a result of harm suffered on social networks. The Lost Screen Memorial features oversized smartphone replicas, with a photo of a deceased child on each home screen.
The Duchess of Sussex was scheduled to speak alongside Harry, but she withdrew because she was not “emotionally strong enough,” according to a person familiar with her motives. Even so, she accompanied her husband to the event.
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The accusations against Thomas Markle Sr. came to light last month. He appeared before a Florida court on Friday, charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. The 82-year-old man had previously strongly denied the allegations, calling them “sick lies.”
Harry appeared moved during his speech as he asked social media companies to avoid showing children content they would not show their own children. He also urged companies to be more transparent and to be more helpful to parents, particularly those seeking to access their children's devices and social media accounts to understand what happened to them online.
“For many parents, even though their child died by suicide, they have had to wait years—in some cases up to eight—to gain access to their child’s phone,” the prince stated. “Because of the company’s privacy policies, parents were prevented from finding out how their child died. That cannot be right.”
[Publicidad]